Matthew 9-10 Genesis 9-11

Matthew 9-10 Genesis 9-11

I apologize for not posting this yesterday.  Life got ahead of me, and I fell behind.  I will post two today to make up for it.

I realized when I opened my reading plan this morning that I was supposed to do the readings with the New Testament first and then read the Old Testament each day.  I’m not sure if it will make a difference, but I will try it and see.

Matthew 9 is a continuance of Jesus healing the masses.  I love that he reads the minds of the teachers of the law and heals a man who is paralyzed just to show his power. 

Then Jesus calls Matthew into discipleship and eats with sinners.  This is when he tells us, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”  I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like one of the sick today.

The fasting issue resurfaces, but Jesus tells them that his disciples will fast when they are in mourning, not while he is there with them. 

The section that I had never really thought about before is when Jesus asks his disciples to pray for his cause.  He looks at the helpless crowds and turns to this group.  17 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  18  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

He doesn’t want us to just sit back and enjoy the party of life.  Jesus calls us to pray on behalf of his mission on Earth.

Matthew 10

Jesus sends out his disciples to heal others.  He tells them to “Be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves!  Be on your guard.”

This passage has some heavy duty directions on how to minister to others.  It would benefit any servant of God to read this chapter.

Genesis 9

God makes his covenant with Noah to never destroy the land again.  After God sends the rainbow, Noah goes to plant a vineyard!  What a smart man!  Unfortunately, he gets drunk.  Two sons care for him and are blessed.  The one who leaves him unclothed, is cursed.

We end with Noah dying at 950 years old!

Genesis 10 gives us the lineage of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Their descendants were the Japhethites,  the Hamites, and the Semites.  They spread throughout the land as God had instructed. 

Genesis 11 begins with the story of the Tower of Babel.  The only thing that I question here is the translation in my Bible.  My version, NIV, quotes God as saying “Let us” go confuse their language.  I’m not sure who the “us” would be. 

We then skip back again to Shem, son of Noah, to look closer at his lineage.  This, of course, takes us down to Abram, Sarai, and Lot.  I do remember from past Bible readings that these characters will control much of my next few days’ worth of exploration of Genesis. 

Again, I am sorry to cram so much into one day.  I hope this wasn’t too confusing!